


A Time Imprinters Journey

by mougiepuddycatlover



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: BAMF Hermione Granger, Dimension Travel, F/M, Hermione Granger Needs a Hug, James Potter is a Good Friend, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Pranks and Practical Jokes, Remus Lupin Needs a Hug, Sassy, Sirius Black is a Little Shit, Slow Build, This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, Time Travel, Torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-28
Updated: 2020-05-28
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:40:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24421444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mougiepuddycatlover/pseuds/mougiepuddycatlover
Summary: Old magic is unlocked when Hermione is captured by the enemy and she is sent hurtling back to a time she'd only heard about through sirius' late night, drunk theatrics and Remus' melancholy filled recollections.Will she make a life for herself in this new time? Or will her actions only result in the end of the wizarding world as she knows it?And how will the attention of one intriguing werewolf effect her journey to save the lives of others?
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Remus Lupin, James Potter/Lily Evans Potter
Comments: 5
Kudos: 36





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Quick disclaim before we dive right in. These characters and the world they are situated are not my own. They belong to the amazing author- J.K Rowling. This is my own twist on her story.  
> Hope you enjoy my first fic ever! Yay!

Her lips tasted like salt. She hated salt.  
Correction. She hated the beach. It was cold, and sticky and sand clung to every part of her body. The beach was messy. That was enough convincing to turn her off it the first time she’d visited it. She much preferred the neat rows upon rows of books in bookstores and the musty smell of parchment and leather and ink that always permeated the Hogwarts library.  
But she was here and not there and she hated it.  
Her body trembled and twitched but not from the cool, winter air.  
“Where is it?” He hissed, another wave of mind boggling pain rocking her body. She gasped and wheezed and spasmed as wave after wave of hot prickling pain burst through her body. She felt like she was on _fire_. No. She _wished_ she were on fire. This was like hot poker sticks pricking every part of her skin and muscles and innards over and _over_ again. Her jaw clenched so hard she thought that maybe her teeth would snap from the pressure. Merlin her parents would kill her if they did. “Talk!”  
The pain lifted from her body and she was left twitching on the sandy floor, her muscles clenching and unclenching. Her joints felt rusty and old, she couldn’t move them without fire shooting through her body. She rathered it to the relentless torture though.  
Hermione’s eyes rose defiantly to her captors' own slitted ones. “Go back to the hole you crawled out of.” She spat, venom coating every inch of her strained voice. If she was going to die, she would do it fighting with every ounce of strength she had left.  
“Filthy mudblood! Death is too good for you. Tell me, what do you care most about?” Her eyes widened and she slammed down the defences that encased her mind. But it felt as if a giant were crashing into it over and over again, the brick walls she'd spent years carefully constructing crumbling without much resistance under his scrutiny.  
“No!” She screamed as he burst through her defences and savagely tore through her memories. He was ripping and hurling her mind apart like garbage and the pain was excruciating, even more so than the spell that had been placed on her just moments before. “Get out! Get out!” She gasped and screamed, her back arching and arms and legs shooting out at odd angles. _The pain was too much!_

Every memory- every _second_ second of her life spun 'round and 'round, like a tornado in her mind. It was _excruciating_ the blood poundong in her ears drowned out the screams that tore from her cracked lips.  
It stopped and she was left dizy and reeling. Then like a light in the darkness the memory of _that_ day came hurtling towards her and before she could brace herself for impact, she was swept up in its wrathful waves, shoving her head back under the water.

* * *

_“Hermione. You can’t tell anyone of what I am about to disclose to you. You have to promise me you will not tell a soul.” Mcgonagoll’s grave expression gave her pause._   
_“Not even Harry or Ron…?” She asked, hesitant. She wasn’t sure if she could hide something from them. They were too observant for their own good when they wanted to be. And Harry could sniff out danger from a mile away…_   
_“Not even them. What I am about to disclose to you is too dire and sensitive to the end results of the war, that if it were to be revealed to too many the effects could be devastating.”_   
_“We could lose the war.” Hermione whispered, eyes wide and fearful._   
_“I’m afraid so.” McGonagoll replied, morose. Hermione realised now how tired she must be from all the stress of the war now resting on her shoulders._   
_Her shoulders were slumped, and the bags under her eyes contrasted with the pale almost ghostly shade of her skin, making her look skeletal and half dead. Her bun wasn’t as neat as it always was, instead stray wisps of hair fell around her face and curled around her frail neck. Hermione was horrified that she hadn’t noticed it before._   
_“I promise, Professor.” McGonagoll nodded as if she expected this response from her._   
_“You're aware of how the time turner functions and the laws and regulations of using one yes?” Hermione nodded._   
_“Of course. I took it upon myself to read everything I could on them before Professor Dumbledore gave me one during my third year.”_   
_“Yes, I suspected as much. So you know of the consequences of jumping back further than a couple of hours and what that can do to the user and the world and timeline itself.”_   
_“Yes professor but what does that have to do with the results of the war?” Her Professor gave a weary smile._   
_“The war is looking bleak. We will not win this time.”_   
_“What?! But Harry-”_   
_“Dies.” Silence stretched across the room and rang in her ears. What? But how? How does Professor McGonagoll know this?_   
_McGonaholl gave a deep sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose, eyes closed tightly as if the world was on her very back. “Harry dies and we lose the war. You cannot change it. Believe me Miss Granger, I have tried.” Hermione opened her mouth to interrupt but McGonagoll shot her down with a glare. “I’m from the future. And I have seen the tragedies that will ensue. But you can prevent this.”_   
_Hermione's mind spun, she felt dizzy and like maybe she’d be sick. They’d lose the war. Harry would die. Harry… And she couldn’t save him!_   
_“How?” She choked out, the world blurring as the tears started flowing._   
_McGonagoll’s eyes softened._   
_“What do you know of Time Imprinters?”_

* * *

Hermione was yanked back to the present, her eyes spotting and unsteady as her body slumped against the sticky sand.  
“Time Imprinter hm? Care to elaborate? Or shall I rummage through your mind again?” Voldemorts snake-like appearance twisted into what she could only assume was a hungry, pleased look. She was going to be sick. But her body was humming, vibrating in unconcealable excitement as McGonagoll’s parting words came rushing back to her.

* * *

_“The Time Imprinter will be activated the moment the details of this conversation are released to another being. It’s a binding contract like an unbreakable vow, so it prevents anything that shouldn’t occur.”_   
_“That’s- wow. Ok. That’s kind of genius.” Hermione breathed, eyes wide with curiosity and excitement. McGonagoll just grinned._   
_“You’ve no idea.”_

* * *

Voldermorts eyes widened, no doubt privey to where Hermione’s mind had gone to.  
He’d just began to screech, “Avada-” when the Time Imprinter that was melded to the skin in between her hip and navel began to warm and buzz against her.  
Hermione felt the familiar, tight pull of apparition in her gut; if a bit harsher- and she raised a shaky two finger salute to the man that destroyed her life.  
“See ya half rate Riddley.” She wheezed before the world blurred together in a flash of colours and she was swallowed by the intense burst of darkness that consumed her body and soul.  
The last thing she saw was the unusually red face of one pissed off Dark Lord.

* * *

_“Half rate Riddley?” Hermione’s head tilted slightly._   
_“That’s what the Slytherin boys called him back in school before he managed to wrangle their respect. It was quite amusing on mine and Alastors behalf."_   
_"You went to school with Voldemort?!" Hermione cried horrified._   
_"Indeed. I was also the first to prank both him and his 'friends' during their 6th year."_   
_Hermione's jaw dropped to the floor._   
_"No way."_   
_"Yes indeed." McGonagoll hummed, a soft smile gracing her lips._   
_"Oh please let me tell the boys." Hermione begged, hands clutching her sides as she howled with laughter. "Merlin that is too good!"_

* * *

Hermione's lungs burned and the beat of her heart thrashed harder and harder in chest, she was afraid it was going break free of her ribs.  
Her chest burned and the smell of burnt skin made her gag, tears pricking her squeezed eyes.  
That bile in her throat rose higher and higher until she could bite it back any longer and she turned her and vomited the meager contents from her stomach, blood spotting it.  
Disgusting.  
She couldn't open her eyes. She was too busy trying to keep the sickness at bay.  
But just as suddenly as it came, it left. And she was left feeling tired and boneless. She didn't open her eyes though. She was afraid of what she might see.  
She didn't want to open her eyes only to wake up on that cold beach, her empty tent with no Harry or Ron to keep her company.  
But she couldn't stay here forever. She knew that.  
Her hot, sticky finger tips brushed the ground besides her and her breathe hitched. Grass.  
Hey eyes snapped open and she let out a shuddery breathe that cracked on a broken sob.  
It wasn't a dream. And she was still alive.


	2. In Which The Marauders Are Confused As Hell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sirius is protective but confused, Prongs doesn't know what the HELL is happening, Wormtail is calculating and filing away info fo later coz he evil and Remus is just an iddy bitty puppy that just wanna pwayyy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everything except the fanfiction plot belongs to the fabulous J.K Rowling. Don't sue me please.  
> Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoy!

Her eyes snapped open to the sight of the full moon beaming down on her and the cool feeling of grass curling around her bloody body protectively.

Hermione gulped down air as tears of relief poured down the sides of her face. She made it!

Her head lifted to look at her chest and she felt all the air escape her lungs again in a whoosh!

Jagged cuts ran from the top of her shoulder blades to the melted gold and green of the newly broken time imprinter and then curled around her right thigh, all the way to her calf; twisting and curling like a snake. The cuts were like lightning reaching across her skin. More scars to her already marred body. 

Hermione sighed. She was used to it.

She felt numb, and the pain was distant, not really present; kind of like a far off memory. Hermione was pretty sure that wasn't a good sign. 

Accioing the bottle of dittany from her beaded bag that was still miraculously on her person, she poured the drops all over her front and shoulder blades.

She watched on in curiosity as her wounds knitted themselves back together while she drank a blood replenishing and pepper-up potion. She was intrigued to note that they healed rather fast considering the amount of skin it had effected. The raised, pearly marks smoothed back to match the rest of her clear creamy skin, leaving black tattoo-like marks where the jagged cuts had been not seconds before hand. 

The inky black varied in thickness; the main cut spreading and shrinking in size- like vines.

It was kind of pretty she thought, absently running her dirty fingers over the smooth skin.

But it was cold and her shirt and bra were shredded beyond repairing charms.

She grabbed Remus' old knitted vest that she always kept on her and scourgefied the blood and dirt and sweat from her body so she wouldn't get it dirtier than it already was. 

Slowly bending her arms and legs, she was pleasantly surprised to see that they weren't as stiff and sore from the rounds of cruciatous as she had originally thought, but her shoulders and chest were still sensitive from the freshly healed skin and they rubbed uncomfortably against the woolen jumper. 

But overall Hermione was pleased to see that she was overall still in one piece.

The urge to scream and cry out to the world how happy she was because she was alive was almost unbearable. Because  _ merlin _ she could  _ save _ lives. She could save  _ harry! _

But she was in the middle of a clearing of; what she could now see was a deep, dark forest and she didn't want to attract any unwanted attention.

But as it was, Hermione's streak of keeping out of trouble was unsettlingly low. So she honestly shouldn't have been surprised when a growl and the snap of a branch echoed from behind a bunch of looming trees to her right. 

Her head whipped to around and she rose from the ground in a slow and measured pace.

Hermione gritted back the urge to cry out in pain when the calf muscle in her right leg spasmed and almost gave out under her. But any show of weakness could mean her death, she was too damn close to be offed in the middle of  _ nowhere. _

Scanning the bushes and trees edging to the right of the clearing a spot of gold flashed from beside one of the thicker trees. She squinted at the strange pair of orbs. Well, hermione couldn't really call them orbs. They were more of an almond shape. Strange, she thought. They kind of looked like eyes- she froze as the realization hit her, her eyes widening and that small tickle of fear always at the back of her mind licking at her neck. 

_ Shit.  _ She knew what it was. It's eyes glowed that eery gold that she'd become too familiar with. 

_ Shit!  _ She should have  _ known. _

The urge to turn tail and run in the opposite direction or just simply transform into her animagus form was tempting. Too tempting.

But she didn't run. It wouldn't help the situation. And she couldn't shift into her other form because she already smelled of human blood and her magical energy was too depleted from the time jump to cast a shielding charm. She'd half assed that scourgify, let alone a full body shift.

Her brain hurt from the strain of racking her brain for ideas. Voldermort had done a number on her mind and she couldn't string together a thought without a pang of pain resounding in her head. She was practically swimming in the pain.

Hermione could only watch on in absent horror as a paw emerged into the moonlight, followed by an arm, then a shoulder, then a snout, until the familiar fur coated figure of a very hungry Moony emerged completely from the woods.

He looked just the same as he had in her time, if a bit less scarred and thin. And docile. This was Moony. There was no human glint behind his eyes this time around. 

If Hermione was correct in her assumptions; this was Remus before the Wolfsbanes existence. Which left her in one of two places. She was either in the forbidden forest, or she was in a werewolf infested pack forest. She seriously hoped it was the aforementioned.

"H-hey there Moony." Hermione said, arm slowly outstretched towards him with her palms up. 

Moony just watched her, eyes hungry and muzzle dripping with saliva.

God  _ damn it _ this was a  _ terrible _ time to test out her findings. But she didn't have much of a choice did she? Her spine was locked in fear but she forced her knees to obey her commands and slowly, but surely, she kneel to the ground, head tilted down and to the side in submission. 

Moony snorted and crept closer towards her, legs still tensed and ready to pounce his victim.

_ If she dies by moony's hand and she is; in fact, in the forbidden forest she is going to  _ **_kill_ ** _ the marauders if she comes back as a ghost. _

Hermione might have laughed at the thought too if her heart hadn't felt as if it were going into cardiac arrest.

Moony's front paw entered her view, pressing into the ground to lean his face closer to her own and she squeezed her eyes shut when she felt the gush of air against her face which sent tendrils of her hair flying. 

She wanted so badly to curl into a ball and cry or just  _ run _ . But she couldn't, and she had to fight damn hard with every inch of her that was  _ screaming _ at her to run and  _ get away _ because godrick gryffindor there was a  _ werewolf _ not 10 inches away!

Her heart  _ stopped _ when something cold and  _ wet  _ slid from her neck to her cheek. Merlin he was  _ marking  _ her with his  _ saliva _ . Hermione didn't even have it in her to shudder in disgust.

She didn't dare look at him. She didn't even  _ breathe  _ as he licked the other side of her neck.

A soft growl escaped his lips and he padded over to her left. By now she had already said her prays and was only waiting for the deadly bite that would end her life. She waited, she waited and she _ waited _ . But it never came. 

She'd begun to wonder if maybe he'd left her be, when a huge paw pushed hermiones chest and sent her sprawling to the ground. 

Except it wasn't the cold, hard forest floor that smacked into her back, causing another wave of pain. Instead she fell against something warm and soft, her hands curling over short grey fur. Horror filled her entire being.

Hermione wasn't sure if this was much better. 

A heavy weight pressed against her stomach and thighs and she gasped, eyes flying open to the head and arm now resting on her lap and abdomin.

_ Holy shit! Moony was using her as a pillow!  _ **_She_ ** _ was using  _ **_him_ ** _ as a pillow! Shit, shit, shit! _

Hermione didn't know what to do. On one hand she was relieved that her act of submission had worked. On the other though, she didn't have a single clue what to do. 

His head moved and nudged her hand and whined, eyes darting to hers and back again to her hand.

"Y-you- you want me t-to pet you?" Hermiones voice trembled, and she bit her lip to keep it from wobbling too much. 

He whined again in response.

Well, she supposed that there wasn't really any going back now. So with trembling hands, she raised them to his head and back and slowly stroked his head. 

Moony closed his eyes and let out a deep rumbling purr that reverberated through her own body. 

God this weird. And scary.

Hermione stayed like that for what felt like an eternity but was really only ten minutes. 

Her heart rate hadn't slowed its erratic pace but her muscles did relax a bit under intense will power. It wasn't really a very relaxing setting; a werewolf sleeping on her when he could kill her at any given moment. But she was alive and he hadn't harmed her.

_ Yet. _ An unhelpful voice spoke from the far corners of her mind.

She told it it could go jump off a cliff.

  
  


An hour passed like that, her eyes drooping as her head slowly fell to rest on her chest before she'd catch sight of Moony's head on her lap and then snap back to reality, head shaking- carefully- to rid herself of the fatigue. 

Hermiones muscles were still sore and slightly tense from the fear and rounds of cruciatus, but her heart was beating at a slightly normal rate which she was slightly pleased about.

Moony seemed to be in a deep sleep, his breathe coming out in deep, even breaths. In a way she was glad. Remus probably felt too physically tired to move immediately after the transformation because of the werewolfs exuberant nature. 

She heaved out a puff of air. What the hell was she doing? This wasn't even a situation she'd thought was physically possible. A werewolf was  _ curled around her _ like a little  _ baby _ and using her as a  _ pillow. _ This whole evening was laughable, and if she'd told anyone they'd probably think her  _ mad. _

Hermione mentally scoffed. They probably weren't too far off.

20 minutes later she was so tired she didn't even care that she was in a life or death situation, she was just so godrick damn tired. To hell with death if she couldn't sleep.

So she forced her body to relax and meld itself against the pillow of warmth behind her and carefully rested her head against the steady rising and falling of Moony's chest.

She almost groaned aloud when the werewolfs warmth acted as a heat pack against her stiff neck.

She'd sleep just for a little while. Then she'd wake up and help Remus recover from the moon and find out where she was. She hummed lightly. If she survived that long.

Content with the semblance of a plan Hermiones eyes fluttered closed and allowed the beginnings of sleep to pull her under.

But Hermiones luck really was horrid. So when the sound of feet pounding against the forest floor sent her heart and muscles spiralling in panic, Hermione let out a quiet, frustrated groan.

Could she not catch a  _ break _ around here?!

Not a moment later two familiar animals burst from the trees, their heads swivelling about wildly in a way that was far too human to be anyone other than Prongs and Padfoot, and when they're eyes locked onto her own she had to repress a laugh at their wide saucepan eyes. 

Hermione didn't think she'd ever seen a stag or dog look so absolutely  _ horrified _ in her entire life.  _ Merlin _ if only Harry could see their  _ faces _ .

"Hello." She mouthed to them, her left hand giving a short wave.

They looked like they were about to trip over themselves in shock, and Prongs  _ did _ when he tried to move closer to her. Hermione guffawed, hand pressed against hard against her mouth to stifle them, for fear she'd wake the werewolf.

But he didn't stir. He didnt even stutter a breathe. Merlin! Moony slept like the  _ dead _ .

"Oi! Come help me outta this will you?" Hermione whisper yelled, hands pressed against the werewolfs ears. 

Sirius seemed to snap out of it first abd transformed back into his human form.

He was handsome in his older, more ragged age but Hermione was still shocked to see how absolutey  _ stunning _ he was in his younger years. 

His hair reached dowm to his ahoulders and his skin was pale and smooth, but not pastey and frail like the Sirius she knew, and he also had less lines across his face, that haunted look in his eyes still yet to come. 

_ No.  _ Hermione berated herself.  _ She was here now and she'd  _ **_never_ ** _ let that happen. _

"Who are you? What the bloody well happened here?" His eyes narrowed down on her suspiciously, occasionally shifting to nervously glance at the sleeping werewolf.

"Mate. Questions later. Moony's using her as a Godrick damn  _ pillow _ ." James said, coming up behind his tense friends and clapsping a hand onto his shoulder. 

Hermione almost cried when she saw Harry's father.

He was a spitting image of her best friend, except for the eyes, and his more muscular build.  _ Merlin _ she missed her best friends.

"Woah there! No need to cry we'll get you out of there! Sun ups in a bit so you won't have to worry for long." James said, eyes wide and welcoming. His hands reached out in front of her on a calming gesture and Hermione smiled at the familiarity if it all.

"It's fine. You just remind me of my friends from home." She explained, stroking Moony's head absently.

"Oh yeah? Where's that? Must be hella great friends you got there." Sirius piped up, watching her pet hos friend in both horror and maybe begrudging respect. But Hermione couldn't be sure.

"Britain. They were amazing. I'm here to request a place in the school for my last year." She quickly conjured up a half lie to follow her statement. It's best to stick as close to the truth as possible, she reminded herself. " my friends and family were killed by Voldemort while I was studying abroad at illvermorny. Hogwarts its the safest place in Britain so I thought it would be the best place to go."

"I'm sorry." James whispered, truly apologetic for her loss. He and Sirius were now only a couple of feet from her. She assumed they were wary of Moony's mood swings and were afraid he'd hurt Hermione out of panic or whatever emotions Moony feels during the full moon if he saw two other people with him.

Hermione absently noticed the sky beginning to turn a deep blue.

"Is that why you have blood and curse marks all over you? You were just attacked?! What luck running into a werewolf too, eh?" Sirius grimaced, grunting when James lightly elbowed him in the gut.

"Stop being a prick Pads! Do you  _ want _ Moony to take a bite out of you?" He hissed, slapping his head for good measure, then winced as he turned back to Hermione. "Sorry…"

"'s all good." She waved him away. She was way beyond tired to care or take it into consideration. "So how  _ is _ it tha-" a sharp growl cut her off as Moony began to twitch and convulse beneath her.  _ Shit it was time. _

"Alright! Time to go! Sirius!" A hand grabbed her arm and she was pulled from under Moony's head and passed to Sirius' open arms. She stumbled a bit but he caught her by the shoulders and wrapped her arm around his shoulders, shoulderong most of her dead weight.

"What about-" she began to protest, head turning to look at the werewolf clawing at the ground, the sick snap of bones and his screams of agony rattling in her ears.

"Don't worry about him. He'll be fine." Sirius' face looked slightly pained as he brought them deeper and deeper into the forest and Hermione realised how difficult it must be to leave his friend whilst he was in so much pain.

A thought occurred to her in and she turned her head to face his slightly red one.

"I'm Hermione. Hermione Granger."

He flashed her a strained smile. "Black. Sirius Black."

"Pleasure to meet you despite the circumstances." She nodded. He just grinned back.

"Indeed."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Hope you enjoyed it! Can't wait to go on this amazing adventure with you and watch as my writing improves!  
> Have a wonderful evening/day!
> 
> \- Velvatine Feamir


	3. Jelly Babies and Requiems

Hermione hobbled up the moving staircases with her arm slung heavily over Sirius’ hunched shoulders, his breath coming out in quick short pants as he carried her dead weight through the desert Hogwarts halls. 

“Geeze woman how much do you  _ weigh? _ You're skinny as a twig for merlin's sake!” Sirius huffed, shifting her numb arm firmly around his shoulders. Hermione rolled her eyes. Still as much of a prat as he was in her time it seems.

“I’m so terribly sorry for needing to bring my luggage along with me. God you're such a prat!”

“A charming one I hope?” He flashed her a sly grin that was far too smug for his own good and Hermione elbowed him in the ribs, causing a grunt of pain to escape his lips, the force making him stumble a bit. “Shit. Sharp elbows. I’ll keep that in mind next time you're in close proximity.”

Hermione snorted, “Next time I'll aim lower.” Sirius looked slightly horrified at the prospect and shot her a nervous look, to which she grinned at.

They approached the gargoyle guarding Dumbledore’s office and Sirius’ said the password; it was jelly babies much to her endless amusement- and the Gargoyle leapt out of their way eyeing Hermione curiously as Sirius carried her up the stairs to Dumbledore’s office door.

“Professor Dumbledore sir!” Sirius grasped her firmly around the waist and removed his hand from her arm to pound on the door. 

The door opened after the third knock and Sirius hurried in, ignoring Dumbledore’s wide eyed look in favour of rushing over to place her into the plush chair opposite his desk.

“Mr Black. What is the meaning of this? Who is this young lady? You should be taking her to the hospital wing not here!” Dumbledore eyed her curiously, silent accusation hidden behind his endless curiosity. She scoffed internally; of course.

“I’m fine. I don’t need to go to the hospital wing. I need to talk to you Professor Dumbledore. It’s of great importance.” Hermione urged, eyes pleading with her past headmaster to believe her.

Dumbledore paused, seeming to mull over the witch's appearance before he whirled around to bring his attention back to the eldest Black. “Where did you find her? She has the signs of being put under the cruciatus and I will not tolerate which student has done this to our guest.” His eyes were flinty and harsh and Hermione sucked in a breath when Sirius turned his horrified face to her.

“I-we- we found Moony- I mean  _ Remus _ curled around her in the middle of the forbidden forest. But Professor- the  _ cruciatus _ ?!” Hermione’s muscles spasmed as if under command by the very word and she bit back a groan, her eyes squeezing shut. Merlin the aftershocks were  _ hell _ . She doesn’t think she’s ever had it this bad before.

“Who did this to you my dear? Can you recount how this happened to you?” Dumbledore leaned over and grasped her hands reassuringly, his eyes dazzled as they peered over his half moon glasses in a very Dumbledore manner. But Hermione could see the truth of his concern in the way his wrinkled face pinched slightly, and the light in his eyes reflected a promise to her own.

Her eyes darted to Sirius’ pained, conflicted look. This must be the first time he’s not been with his friend during and after a transformation. “Sirius.” His slumped shoulders straightened. “Your friends were very deep in the woods. They’ll need your help.” She smiled a weak smile at him and his shoulders slumped again.

“Are you sure? I can stay if you’d like?”

“No no. I’ll be fine.” She waved him off and he nodded before sweeping out of the room, with only a backwards glance to her as he was exiting the room.

Hermione turned back to the other occupant of the room and the moment her gaze locked onto his, the telltale nudge of legilimens poked at her weak and broken walls. 

The nudging paused, then withdrew.

His face split into a horror rage, “My dear… what-”

“Voldemort used legilimens on me and tore apart my mind before I arrived.” He flinched. “There are a few blanks in my memories from the confrontation, but it seems I really only escaped with a minor migraine to deal with.” She shrugged.

“My dear-”

“Hermione.”

“Hermione, when did this occur? He could have destroyed your mind and left you a shell. It is not something that is meant to be dismissed so easily. It must have been excruciating for you to endure. The fact that you're even here in more or less one place is a miracle.”

Hermione’s lips curled into a sad smile as the tears began to fall. “I have lost everything Professor.” He squeezed her hands. “My home, my family, my friends. There is not one thing left. So I wouldn’t go so far as to say that I am back in one piece.”

“You’ve lost everything? You speak of your friends? What happened to them?”

“They died in a war.” She snapped her eyes to his own wide ones. “They died during the battle of Hogwarts… In 1998.”

Dumbledore ripped his hands from hers as if burnt and jumped back, glaring accusingly down upon her.

“Do not think me a fool Miss Hermione. It is not possible to go back so far into the past.” He hissed.

“There is much you are not aware of Professor.” She seethed back, her nails biting into her palms. The hidden rage at her past headmaster was about to overflow out of her. He’d no right to look upon in such a way after what he had done! She could practically taste the rising bile in her mouth. “And you’re willingness to sacrifice everything for the greater good is what led to the order’s demise. What led to  _ Harry Potter’s _ demise.”

“Harry Potter? James is the only spouse left in the Potter family. I have not done a thing of what you accuse me of! How do you know of the Order! Who is your source! I will not believe such horrendous tales as time travel!” Hermione scoffed.

“You must. I was a member of the order, I  _ am _ the last order member left. James’ son was my best friend before you led him to his death. He is James’  _ orphaned _ son and the prophesied chosen. You’re ‘miscalculations’ and willingness to risk the lives of other led Neville Longbottoms parents to be tortured into insanity and James and his spouse to die. You’re greater good plan at its finest.” Dumbledore looked an amusing shade of green. She ignored him, he wouldn’t recieve her pity after what he did to Harry and Remus and  _ everyone _ . “Harry is sent to live with his aunt because of Sirius Blacks new status as a prisoner of azkaban. He was framed and everyone believed him a traitor to his own friends. Harry was starved and forced to live under the stairs of his aunt and uncles house. And you did nothing. Remus Lupin was sent to spy on Greybacks packs and all his friends were lost to him while he was away. You sent a  _ boy _ to spy on the man that ruined his life. Just like what you did with Harry. You used him, again and again for  _ nothing _ . You lost your pawn and I lost my bestfriend.” Her chin lifted as she eyed him cooly from her chair.

Dumbledore was quiet for the longest time and she wondered if perhaps he was mute. From his locked lips back in her time she’s not quite sure if that’s not impossible.

He cleared his throat and shifted on his feet. “It is unwise to divulge such sensitive information to me if all you say is true. I cannot allow you to change the time no matter how dreadful the future may appear. As a wise man once said to me; light can be found-” 

“Even in the darkest of places, if only one would turn on the light. Yes I am aware of the consequences of time travel. But I cannot go back now.”

His eyes narrowed. “Why not.”

Hermione grabbed the bottom of her shirt and pulled it up to reveal the melted gold and scattered spots of glittering dust that contrasted like stars in the sky against the inky black, vine-like tattoo scars that curled around her body.

“What is that!? Hermione you need to be in the hospital wing! I’ll not take no for an answer.” He cried. 

His hands flayelled a bit as he scurried about the room in a flurry of magnificent sleep robes, muttering under his breath and shaking his head as he pulled open seemingly random draws.

“Proffessor-” She began to weakly protest but was cut off by the slam of a cupboard door. She did not recall Dumbledore ever being this chaotic in her timeline.

“Aha!” Dumbledore reappeared from around the corner with a feather in his hand. Waving his wand, the feather elongated and paled, transfiguring into a stretcher that hovered at knee length.

“Sir I-” 

“No.” He raised a hand palm up, “I will not listen until you place yourself on this stretcher.” His tone left no room for argument and she grumbled to herself about how- ‘Dumbledore was always so commanding.’ and, ‘I’m the one holding his life in my hands, I should be the one bossing  _ him _ around’- but got up and hobbled over to the stretcher anyway.

“May I speak now?” She said after she laid her head down onto the makeshift stretcher, her eyes squinting at the now jovial professor. God that look always annoyed the hell out of her. Her eyes slitted as he grinned even further down at her. 

“Yes, yes do go on.” He nodded as he waved a hand and the stretcher followed him outside of the room and down the stairs.

“I came with a time imprinter,” He glanced down at the still exposed skin of her navel. “It allows the user to imprint their magic; and therefore them as well- to the timeline. So from now on I am a part of this timeline. I may change as much I would like because I cannot disappear or be removed from the timeline.” She explained. He looked down at her cautiously.

“So your appearance will not disrupt anything other than the course of wizarding britain and the lives you decide to save?”

“Yes.”

“Well my dear, It appears you have your work ahead of you.”

“Yes…” She hummed. She was placed in this time and port keyed to that specific spot in the forest for a reason. She could go off on her own but she didn't have the necessary funds for that so she couldn’t set up a place to stay and have easy access to death eaters or future death eaters… Unless… “Professor?”

“Yes?” 

“May I stay here? As a student?” She asked carefully, she wasn’t sure what Dumbledore’s opinion on the matter. From the looks of his pleased smile though she was pretty positive that he had expected the question. 

“But of course. I assume you’ll be wanting to complete your seventh year at Hogwarts again?” 

“Again?” She frowned, “Oh! No, I was unable to attend my last year. Harry, Ron and I were on the run that year and the battle of Hogwarts left the castle in ruins.” Although, she was fairly certain she could pass her DADA O.W.L’s with flying colours after 2 years of fighting for her life. “I have no records or money to support my stay here though…” Her eyebrows crinkled and her mouth pinched in thought. That would be an issue…

“Not to worry. I will organise the finer details. I’ll of course be paying you a monthly allowance so we will have to set up a new Gringotts account for you here. Which subject is your strongest? I think it would be wise we set you up as a teachers aid on the side of your schooling here? If that is not too much trouble of course. It will be an easy excuse to fall back on if I or you were to ever be interrogated by our peers.”

Hermiones eyes widened, “A teacher's aid? I’d love to sir!” The academic side of her was squealing in delight, however the more reasonable half of her was wondering about the workload of school, a teacher's aid  _ and _ trying to save the world.

Dumbledore chuckled lightly, “I thought as much.” He peered mischievously over his glasses. “Although I will need to test you on your knowledge and practical administration before I accept you as a teacher's aid. If you wouldn’t mind.”

Dumbledore stopped as they reached the hospital wing door.

“Of course Professor! I believe that Defence Against the Dark Arts would be the most suitable considering I’ve spent many years dealing with the subject so it’s only fair that I prepare the students for the oncoming years…” She trailed off as memories of Voldemorts twisted face and the school crumbled and permeated with smoke and blood came flooding to her mind. The screams of her fallen peers- her  _ family _ rung in her ears, reminiscent of the time that Voldemort had spoken to her in her head.

A cool, wrinkly hand grasped hers and she turned her tear stained smile to the worn face of her past- no-  _ present _ headmaster.

“You’re safe.” He reassured her, grasping her hand firmly in his own.

“No one is ever  _ truly  _ safe. You of all people should know that.” She whispered, shaking her head. 

She couldn’t keep everyone from harm; but she could stop Voldemort before he hurt them, she would lay her life down if it meant the end of his reign over the wizarding and muggle world. She lifted her chin sharply. “I will end this Professor; I promise. Once and for bloody well all.”

“I’m glad to hear it.” Dumbledore smiled and pushed the hospital wing doors open.

“Professor Dumbledore!” A much younger Madam Pomfrey bustled over to them. It was strange to see the mediwitch with such a severe lack of grey hairs, but Hermione supposed she must be in her mid to late 20’s in the time. “Another one? Well place her over there.” She said in a no nonsense tone that Dumbledore obliged to.

Madam Pomfrey bundled her skirts and rushed over to her new patient and busied herself with using her wand to check her over for any harmful injuries.

A splash of red and black light splashed against her face and she paused and glanced at Hermione’s wann face before swiftly spinning on her heel and racing over to Dumbledore.

She began frantically gesturing to the old wizard and whispering to him furiously. Hermione’s ears strained to hear their conversation but she could only make out a portion of what they were discussing- or well, Madam Pomfrey was admonishing.

“She has a severe- how can- why didn’t you bring her soon- bloody miracle she’s still-”

“Under control-” Dumbledore began raising his hands in a sign of surrender.

“My ass it’s- she’s halfway dea- UNBELIEVABLE!” She finally cried and began shooing Dumbledore out the door. Hermione was shocked at the medi-witches' unusual behaviour. She hadn’t even known that the witch knew- let alone  _ said _ such colourful language.

“I’ll talk to you this afternoon Miss Granger-” He cried to her over the angry medi-witches shoulder.

“You will not! My patient needs  _ at least _ 3 days to recover. I will not have you interrupting the delicate healing process because of your damn obsessi-” 

“Madam Pomfrey?” Hermione quickly intervened and her lips curled into a small smirk when Dumbledore rushed from the room, his purple robes glittering in the early morning light. “What’s the verdict?”

Madam Pomfrey huffed in annoyance at the headmaster’s swift escape but her eyes softened as she levitated a bunch of potions to Hermione’s bedside table.

“Well Miss…”

“Granger.” She supplied.

Madam Pomfrey nodded, “Miss Granger, I don’t know how you’re still here in one piece.” That didn’t surprise her, she wasn’t quite sure how either. “You’ve had multiple hits of the cruciatus as well as a broken hip, severe damage to the brain and your magical supply is so depleted that one more spell could leave you in a permanent accomatised state.” Her breath hitched. Permanent? Shit. And she hadn’t even registered the pain of a broken hip! Dammit all! She should have checked her body over for any more injuries. 

How on earth had she even managed to  _ walk _ with a broken hip?!

Hermione sucked in a breath.  _ Remus _ . He forced her to lay down! He must have known about her injuries. Godrick Gryffindor. He’d helped her! Hermione’s eyes widened. He knew his pack would follow him and find her and help her. Holy shit.

This was revolutionary! It was a whole new light on werewolves! This could change how the wizarding world viewed werewolves! She swallowed. 

_ I could change Remus’ life for good. _

“I’m sorry what was that dear?” Hermoine’s gaze snapped back to the medi-witch that had paused her intricate wand waving in favour of checking on her. Merlin, did she say that out loud?

Hermione blushed, “O-oh! No it’s nothing…”

Madam Pomfrey hummed unconvinced but let it go as she took a step back with her hands placed firmly on her hips.

"Drink and get some rest. Don't expect to be leaving here any time soon." She said sternly with her long finger pointed at the potions beside her bed.

"Yes professor."

Madam Pomfrey nodded and turned to her office.

Hermione let out a sigh. 3 days of rest. She should be weeping with joy, but no. She wasn't sure if she could sit still for that long… it was basically punishment. Her fingers were already twitching for a wand that wasn't there. She wouldn't last an hour.

Hermione grabbed the potions to distract herself and one by one threw them down with her nose pinched tight between her fingers.

She spluttered a bit on the last potion but managed to swallow it down without causing a mess and slammed the glass bottles down onto the bedside table.

Hermione grimaced and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. Not even pumpkin juice could get the foul taste out of her mouth.

After putting the stoppers back onto the bottles she glanced around the sterile white hospital wing. 

It was the same; same window panes, same beds, same blankets and screens. She was glad to see that not everything had changed at least; even something so small as Hogwarts or the hospital wing.

The bed directly beside hers had the screen pulled all the way around it and Hermione wondered briefly if maybe Remus was behind it. 

She spent the next couple of minutes mulling over her predicament and examining the pristine room before she decided enough was enough and forced herself to relax.

She might as well rest while she could. Hermione wondered if maybe Madam Pomfrey would let her take a couple of sleepless drought potions as she shifted down the bed and pulled the blanket around her shoulders.

She turned to face the screen beside her. Remus could be lying there right beside her. Remus. The man who was too kind and beautiful for the world to treat him the way it did. 

The marauders, so full of life and youth torn down within seconds. Remus lost everything within the span of a day. And still- he continued. He became a mentor and father figure to Harry even when he didn't need to. Even when Hermione was sure it was so painful to look at someone that reminded him so much of James. 

Even when he returned to a place he once called home. Where everywhere he looked he saw himself and the marauders together again as children.

The pain must have been unbearable.

She wiped at the tears that began to track down the side of her face.

She understood too well the feelings he was feeling. Except… except she could change it. 

She would change it all. For people like Harry and Remus and herself.

For the world.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading my fic! I'll try my best to post as regularly as I can but school might get in the way of that some days. Anywho. Thanks for reading! Have a lovely day/evening! 
> 
> \- Velvatine Femear


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